Product Description

GRIFFIN Powermate Usb Multimedia Controller & Input Device

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #44551 in Consumer Electronics
• Colour: fire
• Brand: Griffin
• Model: 3260-PMBK
• Released on: 2006-07-26
• Platforms: Mac, Windows
• Format: CD
• Dimensions: 7.50" h x 3.00" w x 9.00" l, .51 pounds
• Memory: 256000000MB SODIMM
• Hard Disk: 30000GB
• Native resolution: 640x480
• Display size: 66.9291338583

Manufacturer's Description
The PowerMate universal audio controller is a unique USB device that can control the volume of your computer and your audio applications, and that's just the beginning! The PowerMate is the ultimate USB peripheral, one with almost limitless potential. Assign it any task that has keyboard equivalents. Close windows or empty the Trash in the Finder, fast forward or rewind in audio programs, undo typing in Word, etc.Not only is it capable of controlling the sound volume on your computer, but it also supports soft power on and can also be used as a universal input device and game controller. The PowerMate has a programmable button that can support every conceivable task from muting your audio output, to marking your in and out points in iMovie, Final Cut Pro, Premiere, After Effects, etc., to replacing your missing power button, and it even supports your favorite games as a truly unique game controller.

Customer Reviews

Jogging for those who don't want the strain
The PowerMate is an excellent device for scrolling through documents, web pages and files, as well as providing a brilliant Jog Control for moving between frames in a Video Editing Application like iMovie or FinalCut Pro. It can also be used as a volume control and a power button for your Mac. It is programmable and so the posibilities for its uses are almost endless. It is machined to a high standard and looks great on a desk. This device is perfect for those who do a lot of video editing of have to scroll through long documents. Users of the Flat-Panel iMac will find it useful as a power button if the switch is hard to get to. You simply press it down! It will only work if plugged directly into a USB port, not through a HUB.
In conclusion it is a great piece of kit, its useful and it looks nice, worth it even for occasional use. It woks with both Mac and PC.

Needs a better driver for pro-audio use, otherwise good.
While this widget is probably fine as a volume control for ordinary playback, I bought mine to use as a level control for various pro-audio applications. The problem is that the existing driver has very poor slope control at the bottom end of the range - instead of allowing you to fade the signal gradually down to nothing it gets to within 15% or so of zero and then simply switches to silence very abruptly. I understand that the next version of the driver will address this. I'll believe that when I see it, but in the meantime it gets three stars for being a good idea but loses two for having had its driver written by someone with a tin ear. The packaging process had also caused nasty kink in the cable near the knob end (so to speak) which is annoying and sloppy.

Great tool
I use my Griffin Powermate with an Intel Mac, both under OSX Leopard and Windows XP.

It is a quick and easy way to control your volume, scrolling or pretty much anything else you can access using key commands.

For me, its a volume control, as I use active speakers and its far cheaper than buying an analogue device to go in the physical signal chain, such as the Mackie Big Nob.

Hope this is of some use to someone!